GOLF

GOLF; Lightning Fatalities Are Rare

Published: June 14, 1991

Because of its unpredictable suddenness and awesome power, lightning is one of the most dreaded natural phenomena. But as statistics on injuries and fatalities indicate, being struck by lightning is a rare occurrence. In the United States, moreover, it is becoming even rarer.

For although lightning strikes the earth an estimated 100 times a second, according to figures compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only about 85 Americans are killed by lightning each year and 275 are injured, numbers that have dropped substantially as the nation's farm population has declined. As recently as the 1940's, for example, the average was 329 lightning deaths a year.

While the National Safety Council has estimated that as many as half the fatalities are golfers, the Government figures indicate that the number killed on golf courses is actually less than 5 percent of the total. In 1989, for example, 2 of the 67 deaths occurred on golf courses; in 1988, the figure was 3 of 68.